{"id":3813,"date":"2018-07-02T15:20:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T20:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=3813"},"modified":"2025-05-20T14:59:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T19:59:00","slug":"back-to-school-season-is-the-right-time-to-check-if-your-childs-up-to-date-on-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/back-to-school-season-is-the-right-time-to-check-if-your-childs-up-to-date-on-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-school season is the right time to check if your child\u2019s up-to-date on vaccines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back-to-school season can be a hectic time for parents. There\u2019s just so much to do to make sure your children have everything they need to be ready for a successful year, so now\u2019s the time to focus.<\/p>\n<p>School supplies? Check. School clothes? Check. Daily transportation figured out? Check. Vaccines up-to-date? Ummm&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>While you\u2019re making your checklist, don\u2019t forget what might be the most important item: Are your kids up-to-date on their vaccines? Even for parents of non-school age children, now\u2019s a good opportunity to check if your kids have received the latest vaccinations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVaccines are important for keeping our children safe and healthy,\u201d said Jennifer Kelsey, APN, of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/locations\/osf-healthcare-medical-group-primary-care-ottawa-120203\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSF HealthCare Medical Group \u2013 Ottawa<\/a>. \u201cThanks to vaccines, we\u2019ve seen reductions in polio, measles, mumps and other diseases that can have long-term, sometimes life-threatening complications. We decrease the spread of these diseases by getting children vaccinated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Checking a child\u2019s immunization record is usually a standard part of any wellness check, so a simple way to keep your children properly vaccinated is to schedule an annual health check-up with a health care provider.<\/p>\n<h2>Vaccines safer than ever<\/h2>\n<p>While vaccine risks tend to get more news coverage than vaccine benefits, most vaccine safety scares tend to be false alarms, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/questions-and-answers\/item\/vaccines-and-immunization-what-is-vaccination\">World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>. Developments are making vaccines safer than ever. However, a fall in vaccinations in some countries has led to a rise in cases of whooping cough and measles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a parent is a big responsibility, and the best thing you can do is make sure your children are protected from these diseases and not spreading them,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers\/jennifer-kelsey-1462064\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jennifer Kelsey<\/a> said. \u201cHave a good relationship with the provider to make sure your kids stay up-to-date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parents should also get their children a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/does-my-child-need-the-flu-shot\/\">flu shot<\/a> every year. It\u2019s recommended for every child over the age of 6 months.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"callout-button callout-button-small\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Immunization-Guide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download your free immunization schedule<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back-to-school season can be a hectic time for parents. There\u2019s just so much to do to make sure your children have everything they need to be ready for a successful year, so now\u2019s the time to focus. School supplies? Check. School clothes? Check. Daily transportation figured out? Check. Vaccines up-to-date? Ummm&#8230;. While you\u2019re making your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":3833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[116,735],"tags":[756,759,74],"coauthors":[692],"class_list":["post-3813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pediatrics","category-preventive-health","tag-osf-medical-group","tag-school","tag-vaccines"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Back-to-school season is the right time to check your child\u2019s vaccines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While you\u2019re making your checklist, don\u2019t forget what might be the most important item: Are your kids up-to-date on their vaccines?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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